​Aric Almirola and the No. 43
Ford team plan to mow down the competition at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway this
week with a new partner: Gravely® Professional Mowers. The maker of commercial
lawn and garden equipment will see its bright red paint scheme on the team’s
Sprint Cup Series car for one of NASCAR’s most historic races – Saturday night’s
Bojangles’ Southern 500.

The NASCAR partnership is the first for Gravely, which has been a power
equipment workhorse since 1916. Gravely is part of Ariens Company, a
fourth-generation, family-owned company based in Brillion, Wis., and sells a
complete line of professional mowers and outdoor power equipment, including the
legendary Sno-Thro®, through a national dealer network.

The company’s partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports will also include
endorsements of Gravely products by team owner and racing legend Richard “The
King” Petty in sales displays and advertisements.

“We love working with companies like Gravely,” said Petty. “The company
started small but grew through a belief in ingenuity, family values and pride in
American craftsmanship. Now it’s a big company with top-of-the-line products
that help the working man do his job. That’s what this sport’s all about and the
kind of people that come to the races every week.”

The Southern 500 is a legendary race on the Sprint Cup schedule, dating
back to 1950 when it was first run as NASCAR’s only 500-mile race. Petty himself
won the event in the famed No. 43 in 1967. Almirola hopes to follow suit.

“What a great moment that would be, to earn my first Sprint Cup win with
Gravely in one of the most historic races in the sport,” Almirola said. “That
red paint scheme is going to look great under the lights on Saturday night and
it would look even better in Victory Lane.”

The Darlington race will air May 12 at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on FOX.

About Richard Petty Motorsports:Richard Petty
Motorsports (www.richardpettymotorsports.com), co-owned by NASCAR Hall of
Famer Richard Petty, Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, fields two teams in
competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No.
43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force and STP
and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Stanley and
DEWALT. In addition, Michael Annett wheels the No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford
Mustang full time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in
Concord, N.C.